kinda late for predictions but I don't really do ice dancing or pairs (but I do watch) so here's just men and ladies predictions:

I think it's going to be a historic almost complete Japanese sweep of the medals at this world championship:

Men:

1. Takahashi
2. Oda
3. Kozuka

I think Takahashi will be the champ unless he tries to go for a quad flip. He does, all bets are off.

Ladies:

1. Nagasu
2. Asada
3. Ando

I can't imagine how Kim can really get up for this competition. She just won the top prize in figure skating so it has to be really hard to get motivated for Torino. And it's gonna be a break out competition for Mirai!

kinda late for predictions but I don't really do ice dancing or pairs (but I do watch) so here's just men and ladies predictions:

I think it's going to be a historic almost complete Japanese sweep of the medals at this world championship:

Men:

1. Takahashi
2. Oda
3. Kozuka

I think Takahashi will be the champ unless he tries to go for a quad flip. He does, all bets are off.

Ladies:

1. Nagasu
2. Asada
3. Ando

I can't imagine how Kim can really get up for this competition. She just won the top prize in figure skating so it has to be really hard to get motivated for Torino. And it's gonna be a break out competition for Mirai!

Alas, Oda's already out.

As for Mirai beating Asada, I highly doubt it. Mao is mad and really hungry.

As for Mirai beating Asada, I highly doubt it. Mao is mad and really hungry.

I also doubt Yuna's going to finish off-podium.

Well, Mirai was only a few points behind Mao in the LP at the Olympics, but Mao also made two pretty major boo-boos so I tend to think unless Mao skates like she did at TEB or COR, she will likely beat Mirai. I'm also not sure Mirai will finish on the podium, I really want her to and I think she deserves to, but I have to wonder if she'll get edge calls and UR calls this time around....

Well, Mirai was only a few points behind Mao in the LP at the Olympics, but Mao also made two pretty major boo-boos so I tend to think unless Mao skates like she did at TEB or COR, she will likely beat Mirai. I'm also not sure Mirai will finish on the podium, I really want her to and I think she deserves to, but I have to wonder if she'll get edge calls and UR calls this time around....

I was wondering about how strict the tech panel is going to be this time myself. They were pretty lenient.

Yuko is a Russian skater. But she was like "I'm not skating showing my passport on me." She's been Russian for such a short time that I think it pretty understandable to say so.
I think that both Mirai and Yuko would be happy that two countries (Russia/US and Japan) are specifically rooting for them and feeling close to them because of their heritage, for one thing, and their nationality, for the other.

Yes. Because they're not skating for Canada or America. They had to switch their nationality to do it.

No, Tanith still has her Canadian citizenship, so does Allison Reed, who is still American citizen. It's a factual statement, they are who they are. Besides, these two are actually born in Canada and U.S. respectively. Mirai's parents actually went through the trouble of getting their daughter Japanese citizenship even though she wasn't born in Japan, let's just say not all Japanese-Americans do that. Mirai even went on Japanese TV after she won her first US Nationals to publicize the fact she also holds Japanese citizenship for a Japanese audience to see. Did you know that? I guess not. She is as Japanese as it gets, both ethnically, culturally and yes, citizenship wise as well. She may be representing the U.S. and a U.S. citizen but she is not any different to Yuko Kavaguti who is representing Russia but everyone still calls her a Japanese, even though she is now Russian citizen and have since renounced her Japanese citizenship and can't get it back for 10 years.

Tanith Belbin did not switch nationality, she switched skating member affiliation from back in her time, CFSA (now Skate Canada) to USFSA (now USFS). She gained U.S. citizenship but she did not renounce her Canadian citizenship. She is both Canadian and American citizen, just want to clear this up.

Excuse me for multiple posts! But I agree that Mirai seems to feel strongly about her Japanese heritage. She mentioned that in the Olympic press conference, too, and she speaks Japanese well and lists Japanese TV as one of her favorite programs. I think that Mirai's popularity in Japan has a lot to do with her linguistic ability and her Japaneseness in her attitudes and manners and all that stuff. Not many would have felt that way with Kristi Yamaguchi without these elements.

That said, she is American, has been raised, and has lived in the US, and would have a lot of the American culture in her. I'm sure she feels proud of representing the US, so are the American audience to have her.

In case of Yuko, she switched the nationality as an adult in her twenties specifically for skating. It seems that both countries rooted for her. But she would be pretty different in terms of the level of acculturation to the Russian culture, compared to that of Mirai to the American culture. I think that Mirai would be so much more American than Yuko is Russian as far as the level of cultural identity goes.